Spirit's Chosen (37 page)

“Lord Ryu?” My brows came together. “You serve him?” I was not familiar with any of the slaves who had replaced me.

“Yes, my lady. Me and my mother and my sister and Father and Uncle and Auntie and two cousins.”

I made a sound of amazement. “It must get crowded.” I wanted to calm her down, so I tried making a joke. “And I’ll bet it’s going to be even more tightly packed once Lady Chizu has her baby.”

“That’s just it, Lady Himiko,” the girl said in a panic. “She’s having the baby now. I mean, she’s
trying
to have it. Her pains began last night, but they weren’t very strong. This morning, Lady Sato told Lord Ryu there was no cause for alarm just yet, and to go ahead with making the new rice paddy. But then, as soon as everyone had gone to the fields, Lady Chizu began to scream
dreadfully
! That was when Lady Sato had Auntie take the little boy out of the house and sent me for the midwife.”

“It’s a good thing you were there instead of in the fields,” I told her, privately thankful that Noboru would not be caught up in what might become a tragedy.

“Uh? Oh! That’s because I’m Lady Sato’s personal maid.” She did not look thrilled by the “honor.”

“If you brought the midwife, why do you need Master Daimu?”

The girl’s eyes grew huge as an owl’s. “Because something is wrong, Lady Himiko. The baby—the baby won’t be born. He’s all upside-down, coming feet first, and every time the midwife tries to make him turn around so he’ll come out the right way, he fights her and slips back wrong way ’round. Lady Sato says there must be a demon at work inside Lady Chizu and she wants Master Daimu to cast it out before—before—” She covered her eyes with both hands and began to sob.

I put down my broom. “Has Lady Sato sent for her son?”

The little maid looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes and sniffled. “No, Lady Himiko.”

“Good.” Without another word I moved to fill a basket with everything that I might need to help Chizu.

As soon as the girl saw what I intended to do, she became even more upset, begging me to reconsider. “If Lord Ryu finds out you were in his house, I’ll be blamed for it!”

“Then I’d better see to it that Lady Chizu has her baby before he comes home,” I replied evenly, starting down the ladder.

I found the chieftain’s household in chaos. Chizu’s groans were punctuated by long shrieks and some of the ugliest curses I had ever heard. Where had that timid
creature learned such words? How I wished Ryu were here just long enough to listen to some of the things she was saying about him!

The midwife was not much older than I. According to the maid, she had not been summoned until early morning and it was not yet noon. In spite of that, she already looked exhausted. She added to the din by shouting orders at the two strong, older female slaves who were forcing Chizu to pace back and forth even though her pains seemed to be coming very close together. The time for that helpful practice was not now, with the birth about to happen. The only reason I could imagine for inflicting it on the suffering mother-to-be was that the midwife had run out of ideas for turning the unborn child and hoped a brisk walk would do the trick.

The women supporting Chizu were shouting pleas for mercy to the spirits. Were they sincerely petitioning the gods for help or only trying to make everyone present remember how ardently they prayed? If things went wrong and Ryu wanted someone to be at fault for it, they could hide behind this:
You must not blame us for the loss of your wife and child, my lord. We never once stopped begging the spirits to save them!

Lady Sato had no breath left for prayers. She was too busy scolding everyone in sight, berating the midwife, the slaves, and even her helpless daughter-in-law. “Where is my grandson? Why don’t you stop playing games and bring him into this world
now
? Do you think he can wait forever? Hurry, you lazy things!”

I had seen enough. “Let her lie down!” I called out from the doorway. All eyes fixed on me. Lady Sato turned as white as Chizu.

“What are you doing here? My son said—!”

I ignored her, striding into the house to confront the slaves. “I told you: let her lie
down
.” They obeyed.

The midwife knelt beside me, her brow starred with sweat. “The child is—”

“—coming the wrong way. I know.” I stroked Chizu’s forehead. “You’ll be all right,” I told her gently. “You must relax and not worry anymore. Soon you’ll have a fine, healthy baby.”

“I won’t, I won’t!” Chizu moaned. “I’m going to die! Ah, it hurts so much, I wish I
would
die now!”

“And I wish you wouldn’t say such nonsense,” I told her. Turning back to the midwife, I said: “You tried turning the baby and it didn’t work?”

She nodded. “He keeps squirming back, no matter what I do. I have attended other births where the same thing happened, but the babies always let themselves be guided into the right position. There’s a trick to this one, and I can’t figure it out. If my mother were still alive, she might have the answer, but she died of an autumn cough before she could finish instructing me.” She regarded me with a faint glimmer of hope in her eyes. “Have
you
ever seen such a thing? Do you know how to fix it?”

I lowered my voice so that Chizu could not hear me say: “I’ve delivered other children, but I’ve never experienced a birth like this.” My chin came up sharply; I held the midwife’s gaze. “But my teacher instructed me in
all
kinds of healing, and I know what we should try.”

I laid out potions and salves made from bearleaf and wolfberry and motherwort. These were medicines to give a
laboring woman strength, to keep her from losing too much blood, and to make a barrier between her and the evil spirits that brought fevers that killed many new mothers. Lady Sato tried fussing at me; I barked threats and commands until she understood who was in charge. The slaves were sent to fetch fresh water, which was soon infused with fragrant herbs. I had them wash Chizu thoroughly but quickly. There was no time to lose.

“Now, let’s see if this child is stubborn enough to defy two of us,” I told the midwife, and together we took on the daunting job of turning the unborn baby and keeping him in the proper position for an easy birth. We shared the task, the midwife maneuvering the infant, me holding him steady. Chizu’s stomach rippled with labor pangs, but she was finally able to put all of her efforts into bringing her child into the world.

“All right,” I said, breathing hard. “It feels like he’s given up. Chizu, you’re going to get up and squat now. Everyone else, be ready!”

“I … am … 
more
than ready,” Chizu panted. The two slaves helped her into position, linked their arms behind her, and let her squeeze their free hands as hard as necessary. There was a grunt, a gasp, a yowl, and then the midwife was holding a tiny, squalling, outraged infant boy in her arms.

As soon as Lady Sato heard that she
did
have a grandson, she tried to snatch the newborn from the midwife before anyone had a chance to cut the cord linking mother and child. She hovered over us, urging haste, whining about how cruel we were to keep her waiting, and making a nuisance of
herself. The midwife was attempting to wash the baby, I was preoccupied with guiding Chizu through all that came after a birth, and the slaves were struggling to prepare a comfortable place for mother and child to rest. Lady Sato managed to get in everyone’s way at once.

I was at the end of my patience. Chizu’s difficult labor had taken almost all of the young woman’s strength, and I did not like how bloodless her face still looked. Desperate to get rid of her, I suggested: “Lady Sato, don’t you think you should go to your son and tell him he’s a father?”

She compressed her wrinkled lips, disdaining my proposal. “Hmph. He’ll find out soon enough.” Then, reconsidering, she made an imperious gesture at her maid, who was still shaking from having witnessed such a hard birth. “You, girl! Go to the fields and give Lord Ryu the news.” With a squeak of distress, the maid dashed out. Lady Sato immediately stretched out her hands for the child.

“My lady, he should be with his mother first,” the midwife said.

“He’ll be with
her
soon enough,” the old woman declared. “Now give me my grandson.”

I sprang up and swooped over the newborn, lifting him from the midwife’s arms to place him tenderly on Chizu’s belly. He squirmed, eyes closed, and opened a small, toothless, hungry mouth until his mother guided him to her breast. He began to feed steadily. Chizu’s face shone with love.

“Look at my son, Mother,” she said to Lady Sato. “See what a fine boy he is! I thought I would not live to know his face, yet here we are.”

Thwarted, Lady Sato glared at her daughter-in-law, but her anger had no effect. Chizu was in a world of her own, where there was only room for two.

Needing a target for her temper, the chieftain’s mother turned on me. “A fine shaman
you
are!” she exclaimed, folding her arms. “Interfering in matters that don’t concern you and failing to carry out your own duties. How are the gods going to bless this boy if they don’t know he’s here? And what about the house, eh? Do you think it will purify itself? I can practically smell the evil spirits lurking in the shadows!”

“My apologies, Lady Sato,” I said. “I will begin the rites at once.”

“What rites?” Ryu stood on the threshold, the little maid cowering at his side. When he saw me standing with his mother, his face became a mask of rage. “What are
you
doing here, against my specific orders? Inexcusable! If Daimu thinks he’ll be able to spare you the consequences of this—!”

“Husband, please don’t speak so to Lady Himiko!” Chizu spoke in clear, forceful tones, free of all timidity. “Your son is waiting to greet you.”

“My son?” That word worked a great enchantment, melting away the wolf chieftain’s furious expression. He moved cautiously to where his wife lay cradling the infant in the crook of her arm, and knelt at her side. For the first time I saw Ryu without his pride, his coldness, or his arrogance. As he gazed at the newborn in utter fascination, the only emotion filling him was love.

Chizu began to whisper to him while he caressed the
baby’s downy cheek with a fingertip. I could not hear what she said, but I soon found out. Looking grave and chastened, Ryu stood up and returned to me. “You saved my son’s life.”

“She and I”—I indicated the midwife—“are both glad we could help your wife and your son.”

“Thank you for that.” He spoke grudgingly, as if the words were slivers of stone between his teeth, painful to spit out. “If … if you were to return to this house, you would not be treated as a slave. You and your little brother would live as honored members of our household. Your closest kin would share the same privileges. All of your past offenses will be forgiven and your place among the Ookami will be secure.”

“My place here is already
too
secure,” I said, striving to restrain my true feelings.
He is
trying
to be kind
, I thought.
He means well, but …
“Isn’t that always true for a slave?”

“I promise, you will be treated as if you were freeborn Ookami!” Ryu cried. He must have thought it was the greatest favor he could bestow. “Master Rinji will be this clan’s next shaman. He’ll need a wife. None of my people would dare look down on you then.”

“So Master Rinji is still following the spirits’ path?” This was interesting news. “He has not entered the shrine since—for some time.”

Ryu was perplexed. He was probably expecting to hear me thank him profusely as I accepted his “generous” reward for my services. Instead I was questioning him about Rinji. “He—he has been serving the gods elsewhere, with
my approval. I’m surprised he was not sent for today, once it was known that
Master
Daimu could not be found.” He gave his mother and the little maid a hard look. “At least he does not go wandering off when his help is needed.”

“Send for Rinji? Bah!” Lady Sato rejected the very idea. “I don’t know why you continue to support that boy. He’s no shaman; he’s a mosquito, buzzing in the ears of the spirits. The only time they answer his prayers is when he irritates them so badly they’d do anything to make him fly away! Now as for Master Daimu”—she smiled at me sweetly—“Master Daimu and his dear Lady Himiko—”

“His?” Ryu frowned.

“Well, as good as his,” the horrible old woman said lightly. “Everyone who isn’t blind knows it. The two of them keep a respectable distance from one another in public, but they can’t control the look in their eyes. How sweet it is to see young love in springtime! Tsk. And here you stand wasting your breath, Ryu, offering the girl the same honors she’ll enjoy without your help the moment she marries our real shaman! My poor son, if you only knew how foolish it all makes you sound.”

I wanted to grab Lady Sato and shake sense and discretion into her. Her gabbling tongue was destroying all the goodwill I had gained from the wolf chieftain for saving his wife and son.

“I should go back to the shrine,” I said calmly. “Lady Chizu will need a tonic to help her milk come in.” I kept my eyes averted. If I looked at Ryu directly, he might take an innocent glance as mockery, defiance, or a challenge. I could
sense him seething with anger stirred up by his mother’s careless speech. He was looking for an excuse to make me pay for that. I would not give it to him.

“Thank you for your trouble, Lady Himiko,” he said in a flat, frigid voice. “There is no need. The midwife will see to everything from now on.”

“Yes, Lord Ryu,” I said, and left the house without bothering to gather up my supplies. No doubt they would be returned to the shrine without the need for me to linger in hostile territory.

Daimu came home before the sun set, as he had promised. The Ookami village was already loud with the sounds of festivity as he climbed the ladder to the shrine. The people were rejoicing over the birth of their chieftain’s son, a celebration that would really get under way the following morning. Ashi brought me the news that Ryu had decreed a day of festivity and feasting. Not even the slaves would work, and everyone would receive as much food and rice wine as they could swallow.